Tougher norms for gambling in Goa casinos

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Last Updated: Thu, Jan 10, 2013 20:02 hrs

Panaji: Casinos in Goa will now be monitored. And for gamblers, entering licenced gambling hubs would be akin to walking into an income tax office.

In a fresh modification of the existing guidelines to casino operations, the Goa government has introduced stringent measures, which includes casinos requiring customers to fill up a Know Your Customer forms and bringing money laundering and terror financing activities under vigil.

"The objective is to prevent casinos from being used, intentionally or unintentionally, by criminal elements for money laundering or terrorist-financing activities," says the notification issued Thursday.

"Know Your Customer procedures also enable casinos to understand their customers and their financial dealings better which in turn help them manage their risks prudently," the guidelines say.

Linking terror funding to casino operations, the guidelines suggest seven different methods in which casinos could be used for funding of terror and has advocated methods in which the same could be tackled.

The guidelines also direct the casinos to appoint an official within the management as the nodal agency to deal with financial intelligence units of the government.

Goa has half a dozen offshore casinos and nearly a dozen onshore casinos.